Measuring and recording instrument



June 7, 1932- R. D. HICKOK r-:T AL

MEASURING AND RECORDING INSTRUMENT Filed May 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR ATTORNEYS June 7, 1932. R. D. HlcKOK ET AL, 1,861,597

MEASURING AND RECORDING INSTRUMENT Filed May 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented June` 7,.' 1932` i' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE vROBERT D. BICXOI AND WARNER H. RENNIGK, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO Application led Hay 29,

This invention relates to measurin and recordin instruments, and particular y to the more elicate or finer class of instruments,

`including electrical instruments, such as i ammeters, voltmeters, or the like. The

ob]ect of the invention is to provide means whereby a ne and delicate measuring instrument may be made to produce a permanent record or trace over a period of time, but without interfering with its normal measuring and indicating ability or affecting its accuracy or harming its operating parts.

Further objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, which represent one suitable embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is n. plan view; Fig. 2 is a lon itudinal sectional elevation on the line 2 2, ig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a cross section on approximately the line 3 3, Fi 1. v

The igmer types of measuring instruments,-those in which extreme and minute accuracy is essential,-have never been particularly suitable oradapted for use as recorders, due to the fact that the moving pointer,usually a swin ing hand or needle,-is of very light weight and is delicately mounted in finely jewelled bearings. It cannot be treatedroughly. In some t pes of delicate measuring instruments, suc as the electrical instruments above referred to, the movin parte of the pointer must be freely suspen e to travel in a gaseous medium, such as air. The slightest contact, other than through the bearings, with other materials, interferes with or impedes the motion and destroys accuracy. As a result, the pointers of such instruments cannot bemade to continuously wipe or drag across a sheet of paper upon which a'trace may be made lby a pen or pencil carried by the pointer.

' The pointer and the attached pen or pencil are too heavy and the continuous drag upon the paper is a load that cannot be overcome in these instruments with accompanying accuracy. A ain, it is not possible successfully to provide the pointer with a stylus which may be periodically 1929. Serial N0. 366,938.

poked through the paper to puncture it, because that operation requires a sufficiently strong pointer and stylus and thereby unduly mcreases the weight and the strain upon the bearings, and the manipulation of the pointer to puncture the paper is destructive upon the bearings. Likewise, those attempts to secure recording effects by roviding the pointer with a contact point from whlch a spark is periodically arced to a ixed electrode to 60 thereby puncture the paper b a burning effect have also been unsuccess u1, because not only is the paper record so torn or burned or mutilated that it cannot be preserved, but also the contacts gather lint and ibres of the paper and may even become corroded, due

to electrostatic and other eects, so that the instrument soon becomes sluggish and inaccurate.

Accordin pointer, as is usual in these fine delicate instruments, is made of any suitable length, say six inches or so, so as to have any desirable wide swing, but is nevertheless made very light in weight so that the strain upon its u bearings is a minimum. It is mounted to travel freely through a gaseous medium, such as air, and out of actual contact with other parts except through the bearin and at times when a record trace is belng made. no

The pointer carries a stylus or marker, which is periodically brought into very light contact with a suitable paper or other record, not for the purposeof puncturing the same, but to merely touch its surface, and the touch may be very light so that the stylus can also be light and need not be strong. As a result, the instrument normally operates with the extreme accuracy desirable and necessary and at intervals the pointer is very slightly iiexed, with a travel of an eighth of an inch or so at its extreme end, to produce the trace, but without destructive or harmful efects upon the bearings and without interfering with accuracy. The drawings show one instrument suitable for the purpose.

The instrument illustrated comprises a suitable casing or frame 1 in which is mounted the mechanism for moving the pointer, which may be f any suitable form, but

to the present invention, the 10 I which will be understood to be capable of indicating minute changes by travel of the ointer. The drawings show an electrical instrument including a stationary coil 2 and 5 a rotating coil 3, the latter being attached to the pointer 4, which is mounted in jewelled bearlngs (not shown) and has its outer free end travelling across or over a suitable scale 5 to indicate variations in the effect being measured.' In the arrangement shown the needle travels about a vertical axis and its free end is freely suspended in'the air and moves horizontally in an arc over the upper fiat surface of the box or casing 1, the scale ll being suitably mounted above it.

, The record is made upon a strip or band 6 of paper of s ecial form well known in the art and provi ed with a prepared surface in c two layers, a li ht layer over a dark layer.

i0 Application wit li ht pressure of a st lus to the surface of t is moving paper s eet abrades or wipes off the upper li ht layer and leaves the darker layer expose to form a' record trace. For this purpose the needle or ointer has its outer free end rovided wit a downwardly extending small teat or tongue 7` forming a stylus and lying immediately over the surface ofthe paper.

'Means is also provided for uniformly moving the paper record to reduce the time element, as well as to perio ically apply the stylus lto the paper to produce the trace. This operating mechanism is driven in an suitable manner, such as by clockwork, a

though the drawings show a synchronous motor and reducing gearing, marked generally 10, and arranged to drive a shaft 11 cou led by the gears 12 to a shaft 13. The shall 11 is provided with a worm 14 engagin a worm wheel 15 upon a cross shaft provided with sprockets 16 arranged to engage holes along the edges of the paper sheet and advance the latter continuously past the stylus. The shaft 13 extends rearwardly in the casing and hasits rear end mounted in a bearing 17 and provided with a small crank 1 18 lying above a cross bar 19 connecting two y posts 20 slidable vertically in sleeves 21. The posts l2.0 at their upper ends extend through holes in a pressure bar 22 curved in plan view, as shown in Fig. 1`, so that it lies above the stylus throughout the full are of travel of the needle or pointer. Above the bar 22 are two light springs 23 held in place by nuts 24 on the ends of the posts 20, and the rectangular frame including members 19, 20, and 22 is normally moved upwardly by the tension springs 25. A cover or guard26 may be located above the paper driving sprockets to protect the same and also to hold the paper down to the fiat base along which it travels, while 27 indicates generally the' paper roll suitably mounted within the e5 Pasing and of course so mounted as 'to enable tion laterally across the sheet therefore signiit to be readily removed or changed when necessary.

In this instrument the operating parts for the needle or pointer operate as usual, and in the instrument shown the pointer travels back and forth throu h its are of movement across the paper by t e interaction between the stationary and movable coils. -Its Aposifies the value of the particular quality being measured and said value is indicated upon the scale 5 by proper calibration and marking thereof.

The earing and the driving means therefor, suc as a clock or the synchronous motor shown, is arranged to cause slow uniform travel of the paper record and periodic de pression of the pressure bar. The amount of travel of the paper in a given unit of time and the periodicity of depression of bar 22 may be of any amount. In the arrangement shown the gearing is such that the shaft carrying the crank- 18 rotates four times er minute, with a consequent depression of ar 22 every fifteen seconds, and the relation between the crank 18 and bar 19 is such that the stylus, at each depression thereof, is in contact with the paper for about five seconds and out of contact with it for ten seconds. It is therefore in contact with the 95, paper one third of the time and the other two-thirds of the time allows intervals of suliicient length to enable the pointer to readjust itself to a new position. The gearing to the sprockets 15 is such that the sprockets 100 rotate once per hour with a travel of the paper of five or six inches per hour. The paper travel is, of course, uniform and continuous. Four times each minute the bar 22 is depressed and whatever be the position of the pointer and stylus the latter is depressed ve lightly into contact with the paper Whig lies against a rigid backing formed by the top surface of the box or casing 1. Durin the five seconds while it is in contact wit the paper the latter advances a short distance and a very small trace is made by abrading or wiping oi the upper layer of the prepared surface.` The pressure of the stylus upon the paper is limited or adjusted by adjusting thev pressure of the light sprin 24 and is made so light that injury to the pointer or its bearings is avoided. The pointer itself may be made for example, of very small light aluminum tubing, which in six inches or so of length will suffer a bending effect of an eighth of an inch or so without strain upon the bearings.

A characteristic trace of this recordn instrument is indicated in small magnified orm by the dotted line A.

What we claim is:

In a delicate measuring and recording instrument, including means formoving a rec- Ord sheet and almovable indicating and re- 130 :,seneev cording pointer of relatively light we tv and slightly resilient; operating means or said pomter including a source of power ar-' ly thereto a movin effect no ranged to ap th h roug more than sucient to move it free a gaseous medium, said ipointer avng a sty us portion freely mova le in the air, said record sheet being out of contact with the stylus and having a surface which is removable to produce a legible trace, and means normally out of contact with the pointer and arranged to yieldably engxage the same at intervals to lightly apply t e stylus to the record sheet to abrade its surface and produce a legible truce thereon.

In testimony whereof we hereby aix our signatures.

ROBERT D. HICKOK. WARNER H. RENNICK. 

